WBA and Ellerbe set for talks on Mayweather defending 147 and 154lb belts

Phil Jay 21/08/2014

World Boxing Association Vice President Gilberto Mendoza has exclusively told WBN that he will be meeting with Floyd Mayweather’s advisor Leonard Ellerbe to discuss whether the pound for pound king can defend his 154lb title against Marcos Maidana.

Mayweather, 37, is all set to defend his WBA welterweight belt against the rugged Argentinian on September 13 and already has special dispensation from Mauricio Sulaiman to put both his 147 and light-middleweight WBC championships on the line that night.

Without permission from Sulaiman, Mayweather would have been in danger of losing his 154lb green strap and the same could be said for his WBA version if Mendoza and Ellerbe don’t reach an agreement. The likely scenario is that Mayweather will be defending all four of the world titles in his possession next month at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, with Maidana set to hit the jackpot in more ways than one if ‘Chino’ can cause an upset.

If approved, it will be the first time in history that a fighter has defended two-weight world titles from two organisations on the same night and would be a fitting honor for Mayweather as he heads towards the conclusion of his career next year.

The last time a fighter defended two titles at different weights in one night was when Sugar Ray Leonard took on Danny Lalonde at Caesars Palace for the 168 and 175lb WBC belts back in 1988.